Always and Forever
by MzHissyFits
Summary: What happens when their job is done? What will Sakura and Syaoran do? They've drifted apart . . . but it's not in their destinies to be seperated, so fate brings them together once more. T for language and romance.
1. In Memory

Chapter One: In Memory  
  
"Our mission is done . . . rather, your mission is done, Sakura," Li said, gazing at her. "There's nothing left for you as a Card Captor to do. It's over, all you have to do now, Sakura, is close the book."  
  
"What?" Sakura couldn't believe it. Six years of being a Card Captor and harnessing the powers of Clow himself, and it was over.  
  
Kero, in his smaller form, spoke to her, "That's right kid, you can close the book right now. Your job is done and your destiny fulfilled."  
  
Sakura stared at the magic book in front of her.  
  
"You'll still have the powers, just in another form, and you can summon me anytime you want, and I'll try to get to you as quickly as I can, but really Sakura, it's over," Kero interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"You'll be gone?"  
  
"Not really, you can still get me, but I just won't be there all of the time," Kero gave a small chuckle, "It means you don't have to get me food anymore."  
  
"I'll miss you, Kero!"  
  
"I know,"  
  
Sakura, her hands trembling slightly, took hold of the magic book's cover and gently closed it shut.  
  
For a moment, her hands, still holding the book, glowed white. She looked over at Kero, who was transforming into his true shape – Keroberos. With one last majestic nod, he faded away in a bright blur. Sakura turned then to Li.  
  
"Is it really over?"  
  
"Yes it is," Li looked at her sadly, "and that means that I go as well."  
  
"Do you have to leave? Couldn't you stay here with me?" Sakura said, reaching for his hand.  
  
"Don't worry Sakura," he said, taking her hand, "You'll be always and forever my number one." He kissed her softly . . .  
  
Sakura woke up smiling in her bed. She remembered that night as clearly as the day she had become a Card Captor. Li had promised to come back for her soon, within the year if all went well. Sakura's smile faded as she remembered that all had not gone well. His mother had died and he had been shuffled between relatives. Sakura never knew where he was so she couldn't contact him. Then her father had been offered a new, better position at a more prestigious university so they moved. And then, Sakura went off to school. Thus, ten years had passed since Li had made that promise to Sakura when they were sixteen. Sakura sighed. She had never felt as though she had moved on. She felt like whatever she did, whoever she was with, her heart still belonged to him, and that Li Showron would always be her number one.  
  
But at twenty-six, Sakura was certainly not living in the past. She got up quickly, putting thoughts of her childhood sweetheart out of her mind. She had a job to go to. She was the top editor for one of the most established publishing houses in the world. She didn't have time to dwell on old memories. Taking one last moment to reminisce the old times, Sakura went to the bathroom to get ready.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Li woke up with a smile. Smiling was something he didn't do often anymore. But when he thought about those days with his cherry blossom, he found it hard not to. He never had much of an opportunity to think about her though. He was a successful lawyer and he wanted to stay that way.  
  
He thought sadly of the promise that he had failed to keep. If he ever was able to find Sakura, would she be able to forgive him? Li pushed his hands through his hair. Try as he might to prove otherwise, he knew deep down that Sakura would forever be his number one.  
  
'What would she think of me now?' he thought to himself, pummeling his pillow, his insides burning with sudden shame. 'All of the good people I've defeated in court, and all of the crooks I haven't let justice have. But why should I care? She's probably forgotten all about me.'  
  
PLEASE R&R! THANKS!  
  
Sorry about the screw up of names, but it takes a lot less time typing LI than it does SYAORAN. Again, sorry about that. 


	2. Living in Luxury

Sakura was dressed in a beige blazer and skirt suit set. She had to look sharp for her speech at the convention. She was asked to speak for the company because she had a way with words that her boss said was extraordinary. Her speech was just about the publishing house, how they worked, what kinds of books made the cut, and "the standards that the whole company took upon itself to supply the world with great works of literature." Sakura liked that particular touch. She got into her new Audi and drove uptown.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Li stood in his closet looking up at his rows of suits. He chose his blue suit (blue jacket, blue slacks, and light blue collared shirt) which he wore whenever he was going to a hearing. With my skill, he thought, this case can be over and done with in three goes. Hearing, trial, verdict. That way, I won't need to be in court more than three times. He thought of his motto – "Get in, get the win, and then get out." It was the best policy because this way, he didn't need to care about the people, just the case. For Li the whole thing was a game, and a game he was incredibly good at. Picking up his briefcase, he went out of the door of his apartment and took the elevator down to the parking lot where he got into his Altima and drove to the courthouse.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
The audience stood and cheered as Sakura ended her speech. She smiled, finding it hard to suppress her happiness. Reporters scrabbled their way up to her as she stepped off of the podium.  
  
"Ms. Kinomoto, over here!"  
  
"Miss Kinomoto – we're from the newspaper – an interview!"  
  
"Miss Kinomoto!"  
  
"Hold on!" Sakura called, a little overwhelmed, "You can call my secretary and request appointments and I'll get back to you, but for now, I'd like to make it to my car."  
  
The flow of people subsided a little and this time, Sakura was blinded by the flashing of cameras.  
  
Was it that good of a speech? Sakura thought to herself.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Li got into his car. He sighed heavily. He hadn't anticipated this. He was representing a wealthy man, Mr. Evans, who was on trial for attempted murder. Li had no doubt that this man was guilty, but the defense had no physical evidence. The woman trying to put Mr. Evans in jail was a single mother, her husband had disappeared two years ago and it seemed that she was snooping around trying to find out what happened and got too close to the truth. Li hadn't started the car. He lay his head on the edge of the steering wheel and groaned.  
  
"It's a fucking good thing I'm getting paid $200 dollars an hour or that guy would be on his way to lethal injection by now," Li said. [Sorry about the swearing – Syaoran's a real . . . donkey right now, but keep reading!]  
  
He sighed again and started the car and in the back of his mind he saw a pair of brilliant green eyes frowning at him. Shaking his guilt off, he drove back to his apartment. 


	3. Some Things Never Change

Sakura dialed Madison's [Tomoyo, by the way, but it's easier for me to type Madison] number. The phone rang three times before she answered the phone.  
  
"Hey Sakura! How was your speech?" she said, in her normal cheerful and sweet way.  
  
Some things never change, Sakura thought to herself before answering, "It was wonderful! People seemed to get totally into it and as I was leaving I got some offers for interviews!" Lot of interview offers actually, Sakura thought.  
  
"Wow, Sakura, that's great!"  
  
"I know, I feel like I'm at the top of the world!"  
  
"I think we should celebrate," Madison said.  
  
"Okay, how?"  
  
Madison paused a moment, "I'm taking you out to dinner."  
  
"Where?" Sakura said excitedly.  
  
"I got an e-mail from Eriol [I don't know his English name] and he says he has a chain of restaurants now and there's one right here in the city," Madison said.  
  
"Oh yeah! I got a message from him too!" Sakura said, recalling the letter she had gotten in the mail the day before. "I just forgot about it with the upcoming presentation."  
  
"Me too, but I really want to check it out now," Madison said. "How long do you think you need to get ready?"  
  
"Be here in half an hour," Sakura said decisively.  
  
"Good, I'll be there in forty-five," Madison said. "Because some things never change."  
  
Sakura laughed, "I'm not that behind schedule anymore!"  
  
"I know, but that's why I'm being there in forty-five minutes and not an hour."  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Li heard his phone ringing. He had just gotten home and he was tired and contemplated just letting the machine get the call. Then he saw on the caller ID that it was Eriol. Surprised, he picked up the phone.  
  
"Hello?" he said.  
  
"Hey! Li?" Eriol's voice said from the receiver.  
  
"Yeah . . . "  
  
"Long time no see buddy!"  
  
"We haven't talked in, what is it now? Eight years?"  
  
"I think that's about right, where've you been?"  
  
"Getting my career started, you?"  
  
"Same thing – which is why I called you tonight."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I've got my own restaurant now – actually, quite a few of them. When I looked you up I saw that there was one opening really close by to you. Want to go to the grand opening? I know it's short notice, but – "  
  
"Yeah, it'd do me good to get out tonight," Li said, a little bitterness biting into his tone.  
  
"Hey, are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah, it's nothing."  
  
"Can you be there in an hour? I can give you the directions."  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Great." 


	4. VIP

Sakura was dressed in a dark green one-shoulder dress where the skirt just passed her knees. The dress sparkled from the tiny sequins sewn in. Sakura nervously checked to see that no one was around. She put her hands to her head and they glowed white along with her hair. She put her hands down and her hair was now longer and up in a bun. No, half of it was up in a bun and the bottom layer was down and they ended in the middle of her back in soft curls. She jumped when she heard the doorbell ring. She grabbed her green handbag and slipped on her heeled shoes and ran to let Madison in.  
  
"Hi, you look great!" Sakura said when she opened the door, and she meant it. Madison was in a lavender dress that was made of a loose, silk like material. Her hair was up in a bun and held there with decorative amethyst pins.  
  
"Thanks, so do you!" she rummaged in her bag. "This is the restaurant's grand opening so the line would be long . . . if we didn't have these." She pulled two red plastic cards out of her bag.  
  
"V.I.P. passes!" Sakura exclaimed snatching them up.  
  
"Don't you love him? Not only did he invite us to one of the biggest parties of the year, but he made sure we'd do it in style," Madison said, referring to Eriol.  
  
"I'm giving him a huge hug when I see him . . . if I can recognize him. It's been nearly nine years since I last saw him face to face," Sakura said woefully.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure he's probably going to be in the center of things, it won't be hard to find him," Madison said, comfortingly.  
  
"Great," Sakura said. "I still can't believe it – V.I.P.!"  
  
"Well, if we don't leave now, we won't be able to use those," Madison said, holding the door open.  
  
"All right, let's get moving!" Sakura said cheerfully.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Li quickly changed into a black collared shirt, black pants, and black jacket. He didn't bother with his hair – there wasn't time.  
  
"Hey, Li! Hurry up, we're going to be late!" Eriol called from the living room. He had come on time, but he had been kept waiting for half an hour.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Li said, hurriedly putting on his watch and slipping his feet into his shoes. He ran out into the hall.  
  
"Okay, let's go," he said brusquely.  
  
"Oh, yeah, take this," Eriol said, handing him a red plastic card.  
  
Li looked at it, "V.I.P.?"  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Wow, thanks!"  
  
"No problem, but we have to leave now or else I'm going to be late for my own party!"  
  
"Fashionably late," Li argued.  
  
"Fine, let's go before this gets out of style." 


	5. The Club

Sakura and Madison headed to the front of the line.  
  
"Evening!" Madison said to the bouncer.  
  
The two of them flashed their passes. The bouncer checked his list.  
  
"You'll be Madison and Sakura, I suppose?"  
  
Sakura nodded, "May we go in now?"  
  
"Yeah," he unclipped the rope barrier and let them through. There were many disgruntled groans from the people in line.  
  
Madison looked back at them with sympathy in her eyes. "Oh! They look cold!"  
  
"They'll survive, Madison!" Sakura said rolling her eyes, "But we are going to have some fun!"  
  
They entered the club/restaurant. A man greeted them just beyond the entrance.  
  
"Will you ladies be eating or dancing tonight?"  
  
"I don't know," Madison said. "It's up to you Sakura."  
  
"Let's eat first."  
  
The man nodded. "Down the hall, to your right."  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Eriol led Li in through the back entrance.  
  
"Check out the club while I check that everything's all right in the kitchen and bar," he said to Li, "I'll be with you in a moment."  
  
"Sure," Li said. The club was crowded and the bass shook the room and everyone looked as though they were having loads of fun. Eriol sure knows how to throw a party, Li thought to himself. He slowly made his way to the bar through the dancing crowd. He ordered a martini and looked out on the proceeding celebration. It was then that he saw his client, Mr. Evans.  
  
What's he doing here, Li thought to himself. He wanted to get away before Mr. Evans spotted him. But it was too late.  
  
"Well, Mr. Showron," Mr. Evans. "Fancy seeing you here. I didn't think this sort of to do was your type of thing." He saw the waitress behind the bar. "How you doin'?" he gave her a smile and she blushed, obviously not used to such treatment.  
  
"It isn't really," Li said reluctantly. "But my old friend owns the place so I thought I'd come to the opening."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Evans," Li said coldly.  
  
"Please, call me Sean," and he was again distracted by a woman in red. "Hey."  
  
"I'd rather not," Li said, taking another sip of his martini. Sleazeball, he thought.  
  
"Aw, come on, lighten up! Is there a reason we can't be friends, we are in this case together aren't we?"  
  
"I don't mix personal and business together Mr. Evans," Li drained his martini.  
  
"Definitely not my policy," Mr. Evans commented. "I lease out this place and I made sure I saw the result."  
  
"You own the building?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Li shrugged. "Well, I hope you enjoy your night, Mr. Evans, but if you'll excuse me." Li nodded to him and walked away into the club. Eriol found him.  
  
"I see you've met Mr. Evans," he said.  
  
"No, I already know him," Li said. He explained the case.  
  
"Attempted murder?"  
  
"Yeah," Li said.  
  
"Remind me to buy the place as soon as possible," Eriol said, a little nervously, "I don't want him here when I'm trying to run it." He shuddered and turned away. "So, you're prosecuting him?"  
  
"Representing him," Li said.  
  
Eriol stared at him, "But you just said that – "  
  
"I know, but I'm getting paid to keep him out of prison."  
  
Eriol gaped some more. "Well, you do what you think is best," he said, trying to be casual. "Do you want to see what happens behind the scenes?"  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
"To the kitchens then." 


	6. The Restaurant

Sakura and Madison entered the restaurant which had to be the most elegant place the two had ever been to. They settled into their booth in the corner. The seats and tablecloth were a cream color. The plates were made of decorated china and the silverware a bright silver, without water spots. The glasses looked as if they were made of crystal and the centerpiece was huge and made of white roses. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were dripping in diamonds and the lamps on the walls looked like they were made of gold.  
  
"Eriol seems to be doing well," Sakura said, unaware of how far open her mouth was.  
  
Madison stared wide-eyed at the richness around her and could only nod. "And he said it was simply a humble establishment!"  
  
The waiter came up to them and offered the menu, saying that anything they ordered would be on the house, compliments of the owner.  
  
"Isn't that generous of him!" Madison exclaimed.  
  
"Would you like to make him regret that generosity?" Sakura asked her mischievously.  
  
Madison giggled. "Oh, lets!"  
  
And with that, they ordered the most expensive meals in the menu.  
  
"That was the best meal I've had in the longest time," Sakura said, finishing the last bite of her pecan pie. "I owe Eriol a million hugs!"  
  
"Uh-huh," Madison said, still occupied by her cheesecake. When she had finished she said, "Do you want to check out the club? If Eriol isn't here, he must be there."  
  
"Yeah, sure, why not?" she said, getting up and leaving a tip for the waiter. They went into the club room which was positively shaking from the music.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
"So, that's it," Eriol was saying to Li. "Would you like to see the actual restaurant."  
  
"If it's half as good as what I saw here, then I ought to buy several shares of your business," Li said eagerly.  
  
"I won't be the judge," Eriol said, putting his hand on the door leading to the restaurant. "Well, here it is." He pushed the door open.  
  
Li's jaw dropped down low.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Sakura and Madison danced a few dances before abandoning their strangers to meet at the bar.  
  
"It's getting late, Madison," Sakura said, checking her cell phone for the time.  
  
"I've got a lot of phone time in the morning, not to mention a few more presentations," she continued.  
  
"All right, we can – " but she never finished that phrase because the DJ announced that a karaoke round was about to begin and that a random person would be chosen to sing from the list of admitted personages.  
  
"How about," the DJ paused to stick his hand in the basket. "Sakura Kinomoto!" he called.  
  
Madison clapped and pushed Sakura onstage.  
  
"So what would you like?" the DJ said to her.  
  
"Um . . . I don't know . . . could I do Greatest Story Ever Told?" she said shyly.  
  
"Yeah," he said, switching discs, "Fire away!"  
  
Sakura took a deep breath and held up the microphone.  
  
"Thank you for this moment I gotta say how beautiful you are Of all the hopes and dreams I could have prayed for Here you are  
  
If I could have one dance forever I would take you by the hand Tonight it's you and I together I'm so glad  
  
And if I lived a thousand years you know I never could explain The way I lost my heart to you that day But if destiny decided I should look the other way  
  
Then the world would never know The greatest story ever told And did I tell you that I love you Tonight  
  
If I don't hear the music When I'm looking in your eyes But I feel the rhythm of your body Close to mine  
  
It's the way we touch It sends me It's the way we'll always be Your kiss, your pretty smile you know I die for Oh baby You're all I need  
  
And if I lived a thousand years you know I never could explain The way I lost my heart to you that day But if destiny decided I should look the other way  
  
Then the world would never know The greatest story ever told And did I tell you that I love you Just how much I really need you Did I tell you that I love you? Tonight Tonight  
  
And if I lived a thousand years you know I never could explain The way I lost my heart to you that day But if destiny decided I should look the other way  
  
Then the world would never know The greatest story ever told And did I tell you that I love you Just how much I really need you Did I tell you that I love you? Tonight"  
  
The crowd cheered. Some guys went all out and whistled. Sakura smiled and blushed and handed the microphone over to the DJ.  
  
"Come on, Madison, let's go," she said, slightly embarrassed.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Eriol had been showing Li around the restaurant when he heard it. The karaoke call.  
  
"No! Did they start it without me!?" Eriol sounded indignant.  
  
"What?" Li asked, confused.  
  
"There's a karaoke fest, and I was supposed to announce it," Eriol said sounding a little put out.  
  
"Go ahead, I'll wait here," Li said.  
  
"Thanks," Eriol said as he rushed off.  
  
Eriol caught Sakura and Madison just as they were headed out of the door.  
  
"Hey, Madison! Sakura!"  
  
"Eriol!?" the two squealed together and they both gave him a huge hug.  
  
"You're not leaving already?"  
  
"Sorry, Eriol, but I've got a lot of work to do in the morning," Sakura said, again checking the time.  
  
"But there's someone I wanted you to see – "  
  
Sakura interrupted him, "Sorry, Eriol, but I really have to go now, I'll call you tomorrow!"  
  
"But – " Eriol began again, but Sakura and Madison bounced out of the door and into the night.  
  
Li had let Eriol go about his business, but he heard something that made him want to go into the club again. He heard singing – a woman was singing and her voice sounded familiar, and really pretty. He waited because he had told Eriol that he would, but he went into the hall in time to hear the last strains of the song. "Did I tell you that I love you . . . tonight . . . " By the time he got into the club, he couldn't see anything because people were jumping up and down, whistling and cheering. Li caught a glimpse of a green dress before it disappeared. Utterly disappointed, Li turned away.  
  
Back at the restaurant, Eriol seemed frustrated.  
  
"I take it you didn't make it in time?" Li said, noticing Eriol's flustered state.  
  
"No, it's not that, I had just planned something and it didn't come through," Eriol said. "I had hoped it would happen tonight, but I guess I'll have to wait until some other time."  
  
Li checked his watch. "I'm sorry to say this, but I have to go now."  
  
"You too?"  
  
Li had no idea what he meant but he continued anyway, "I've got a lot of work ahead of me. I have a feeling I'm not going to get a lot of rest for a while, so I might as well get some now."  
  
"All right, I'll see you some other time," Eriol said.  
  
"I'll call, but for now, I guess I'll see you around," Li said.  
  
"Yeah, see ya."  
  
Li left the restaurant and headed home. He figured he'd just walk, seeing as how his apartment building was only a block away. He walked thinking hard to see if anyone he knew could sing like that woman on the karaoke stage. He was in the elevator on the way up to his floor when it hit him. Sakura could sing like that. 


	7. Business as Usual

Sakura got into the office early the next morning at seven a.m. to find that even at this hour, she had about 50 messages.  
  
"Michelle, can you at least decline half of them?" Sakura said, addressing her secretary.  
  
"I already did that to twenty-five of them," Michelle said.  
  
Sakura sighed. By nine a.m. she had decided to do one magazine interview and one newspaper, but none of the television ones. By eleven a.m. she had decided which ones.  
  
"I'll go with . . . Katherine Green as the newspaper reporter . . . and Julian Samuels for the magazine," Sakura said, mumbling to herself. "Finally that's settled!" She told Michelle to set up her appointments and she went out to lunch. She went out and got the newspaper Katherine Green wrote for and the magazine Julian Samuels wrote for.  
  
Reading the newspaper, Sakura discovered two articles that Miss Green wrote, one in the business section regarding the competition of two producing companies and a book review in the calendar section.  
  
Interesting, Sakura thought to herself.  
  
She moved on to Envy magazine. She had never read it in her life, but she knew that it was really popular. Looking at it, she discovered that it was a magazine full of glimpses into the lives of the rich, the powerful, the famous, and basically, people to be envied. She was surprised that a reporter from that magazine wanted to speak to her.  
  
Interesting, she thought again.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
Li rose as the judge entered the room again, setting the date for the next court meeting. Li exited the room with Mr. Evans and was surprised to see that floods of media greeted them.  
  
"Mr. Showron do you feel you can handle this case?"  
  
"Mr. Showron do you think you can win?"  
  
"Mr. Evans are you nervous about the verdict?"  
  
"Don't comment, Mr. Evans," Li said, slightly befuddled.  
  
Once they were out of the crowd Li spoke to Mr. Evans, "What were they doing there?"  
  
Sean looked at him coolly. "You do realize that you're dealing with one of the most powerful men in this city?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Hold on, I think I still have a copy somewhere . . . " Mr. Evans went into his briefcase and pulled out a copy of Envy magazine, with a picture of himself on the cover. "The magazine's own star reporter, Julian Samuels, did the article himself."  
  
"Hm," Li said, looking briefly through the article. "Done a lot of business in your life, haven't you?"  
  
"Yeah, and I thought a little media support would help me in this time of need," Mr. Evans said.  
  
"Are you sure you want to publicize this case? What if you lose?"  
  
"Then you lose Mr. Showron," Mr. Evans said clearly.  
  
"Is that a threat?" Li said, shocked.  
  
Mr. Evans shrugged. "Just make sure you do what you're paid to do. Win me this case." He started to walk away, then said, "I'd give an interview if I were you, it helps to have the world on your side."  
  
Li stared blankly after him. 


	8. Appointments

Author's Note: I'm really very sorry about the American dub names, but again, they are, for some strange, unknown reason, easier for me to type. The fact remains that when it comes to little details like that, I'm lazy. I may convert them every once in a while, but I'm not making any promises.  
  
Sakura's interview with Katherine Green went extremely well. After Sakura called her "Miss Green" fifteen times, Katherine requested Sakura to call her Kat. That made things a whole lot less informal, and certainly loads less uncomfortable. Kat asked simple questions like how she got into the editing business, which books she assisted publishing, if she ever wrote herself, what she like best about her job, that sort of thing. At the end, she announced the interview would appear in the paper on the fifth, in two days, the same day she had her interview with Julian Samuels for Envy magazine. Sakura couldn't decide if she was excited or scared and decided she was both.  
  
Later that day, Sakura visited Madison at the work.  
  
"Hey Rika!" she greeted her old friend at the reception desk. "Any chance I could talk to Madison?"  
  
"Lucky you, Sakura," Rika said with a smile, "She's on a coffee break."  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
Rika picked up the phone. "Miss Daidouji to the reception desk, Miss Daidouji, reception desk."  
  
Sakura waited for Madison to come in the little waiting room. She sat in the chair in the corner and looked out of the window of that big corporate building. She thought of how Madison had gotten the job at this movie production company. She had just been editing one of the tapes she had made of Sakura catching a clow card (editing the clow card out of course) in one of those computer shops where they allow you to use the computers for a fee. A man from the company had been there and had mistaken a shot of Sakura flying as special effects. She was allowed into the company and had started out in the editing room, then as a cameraperson, then as a director. She was currently a director/producer, which pleased her very much. She also worked an occasional night shift at a nearby animal hospital, just for kicks.  
  
"Sakura!"  
  
"Hey!" Sakura answered her best friend. "Guess what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The newspaper interview is coming out in two days!"  
  
"Wow that's great!" Madison said clapping. "I have good news too!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The movie is finished!"  
  
"So I finally get to watch the movie you wrote, directed, and produced!?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"I'm taking you out for lunch tomorrow!"  
  
"Great!"  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
An interview? Li thought to himself. She's going to be mad if I don't at least consider her . . . he thought miserably. He sighed heavily and dialed Mei-Lin's office number.  
  
Her secretary picked up. "Mei-Lin Li's office, how may I help you?"  
  
"I'd like to speak to Miss Li, please," he said heavily.  
  
"Might I inquire who is calling?"  
  
"Li Showron."  
  
A pause. Then, "Li!! I'm so glad to hear from you! Have you thought about the interview yet?"  
  
"You offered?" Li asked, skeptical. His secretary had given him about fifty messages the other day, but he thrown them away.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind," he said hastily. "You wouldn't mind giving me an interview?"  
  
"Syaoran, please," Mei-Lin said in her usual abrupt way. "When the people here at the station realized that I knew you, they were practically begging me to do the interview. I actually got a few pay raise offers. Does this mean you're in?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess it does," Li sighed inaudibly.  
  
"Great!" she squealed. "We can shoot the interview tomorrow and it'll air the next day. Is that okay?"  
  
"Sure," he said quickly, eager to get this whole experience behind him. "I've got to go now, but I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"But – "  
  
"Bye now!" He slammed the phone down. 


	9. Interviews

Author's Note: I do not own any of the Card Captor characters. I own a select few characters in this story, including Julian and Kat. I think those are the only two =P Anyway, Sakura and Li (much easier to type that Syaoran) should meet soon. But can they get together after so long? Read and review please!  
  
It was the day of Sakura's interview with Julian Samuels. Sakura still couldn't quite believe that she was going to be featured in Envy magazine. It seemed a bit surreal to her. She wasn't nervous; she was just in a state of disbelief. In any case, she wasn't completely disoriented.  
  
She chose a cozy white sweater to wear. Not only would it protect her from the slightly too cold for comfort breeze, it looked good on her and accented her figure. It didn't look too casual of too formal. She then chose a navy blue skirt that was made of a light material that would flutter in any wind. The hem, which came just below her knees, was diagonal and had a few decorative layers. She put on matching blue shoes and got her blue bag but couldn't seem to find her keys, or her wallet.  
  
It wasn't on her desk, not on the bed. It wasn't on the dresser and it wasn't on the kitchen table.  
  
"Oh no, I'm going to be late!" she cried hopelessly. It was scheduled for 1:00 and it was now 12:45. If I don't leave soon, Mr. Samuels will be gone before I even get there! She thought to herself, probably exaggerating.  
  
"That's it! Time for drastic measures!" she paused to look around. Then suddenly she was everywhere at once. Maybe due to super speed, or she had made copies of herself, or maybe both. In less than five seconds she had her wallet and keys and returned to normal, with her hair (which was partly pulled back with a clip and straight ending just between her shoulder blades) only slightly tousled. She straightened and rushed out of the door.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
"Damn those stupid director people," Syaoran said, switching on his television. The interview was scheduled to appear at 2:00, and he had been forced to smile and endure as the interview turned into a torture session. "It's like they wanted people to focus on the face, and not the case," he didn't even noticed how silly that sounded. "I swear, asking me questions about my love life!? That's not professional." But I guess it makes sense, he continued in his head. If the public had details they might decide that my client is guilty. That wouldn't be good for my reputation. It was now 1:55. He was about to be publicly humiliated in less than 5 minutes.  
  
Meanwhile . . .  
  
When the interview had first started, Sakura had noticed that Julian Samuels, as well as being really charming, was excessively attractive. Quite cute actually. But the thought really went no further. She felt comfortable with him in that cozy little restaurant as he asked the questions and she answered them. The hour sped by quickly. It had helped that the first few minutes, a magazine photographer had taken pictures.  
  
"Well, I suppose that's it for me," Julian (he had asked her to call him by his first name) said to her. "Do you have any questions?"  
  
Sakura knew he probably meant for her to ask "when is the article coming out?" but instead she asked, "Why me?"  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"I mean, why put me in Envy magazine? It's not like I have anything that other people would be jealous of."  
  
"You don't think so?"  
  
"I honestly don't," Sakura answered him truthfully.  
  
"Well," he said, his eyes twinkling nicely, "You're very successful, I've done my homework like a good boy should. You make roughly 85 dollars an hour not to mention the bonuses you get when you make speeches. You're young. You're self-sufficient. Not to mention you're pretty much gorgeous."  
  
Sakura colored at this last comment. "Being young is pretty much an insignificant detail, plenty of people are self-sufficient, many people make much more money than me, and I'm not all that pretty. You probably make more money than me, and you're young too, and successful."  
  
"Guess that's why I'm star reporter," he said laughing. It wasn't an arrogant laugh, just a good-natured one.  
  
"That's not the point," Sakura said. She gave him a stare that she knew would make him fess up.  
  
He did. "To tell you the truth, Miss Kinomoto – "  
  
"Really, if I can call you by your first name you can have the same courtesy," Sakura interjected.  
  
He smiled slightly at that, "To tell you the truth Sakura, I decided to feature you because you're the type of person worth being envied, and the editors agreed. You had no advantages of a famous name or fortune, yet you still are thriving. You did this all by yourself. You're the type of person that is . . . well rounded. A renaissance woman, if you will. You're good at almost everything as far as I know. The world would be a better place if there were more people as nice as you are, and as talented. Point is, sometimes we don't feature people who are envied. We put in people who should be."  
  
Sakura was surprised. She hadn't expected this. She smiled and blushed and said, "When you put it that way . . . "  
  
At the back of the restaurant someone yelled to the person at the counter. "Change the channel, Barry. I don't want to watch my team lose again! They're down by 6 points and I can't stand it!"  
  
Barry changed the channel and Sakura heard the familiar introduction jingle of the news. Julian was talking to her again, but the television screen had caught her eye.  
  
"Next up," the anchorman was saying. "The more and more public Evans vs. Paige case. An exclusive interview with Mr. Evan's attorney himself, Li Showron, continued."  
  
Li? Sakura thought. Her attention was now fully captivated by the man on the television screen. The man who she recognized as her high school sweetheart. The man who was talking to Mei-Lin (Sakura had known Mei-Lin was a news person having watched her on TV every so often). Apparently, the interview had started before commercial break and it was wrapping up.  
  
Details slipped through Sakura's mind like smoke. She knew the name of the courthouse and what time the verdict trial would be, but nothing more. She concentrated more on the sound of Syaoran's voice and how great he looked in his blue suit. The questions didn't seem about the gory attempted murder case, otherwise Syaoran wouldn't be smiling. The last question penetrated Sakura's belated hearing.  
  
"Do you play as well as work, Mr. Showron? Is there some significant other?" Mei-Lin asked him.  
  
Something stirred behind Syaoran's eyes, and his smile seemed a bit fake to Sakura now, "No, no there isn't."  
  
"Sakura? Earth to Sakura!" Julian was looking at her strangely.  
  
"Yeah?" she said jumpily.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, just a little . . . yeah, I'm fine, what were you saying?"  
  
"I was asking you whether you'd like to go for coffee some time," he said giving her a confused smile.  
  
"Oh, really?" she said distractedly. "No, that's nice and all, but I don't think it's best right now." She stood up. "I'm sorry, I have to go now, I've got errands to run."  
  
As she left, he stared after her. Was it something he said? Shrugging he paid the bill and stepped out as well. The story was ready to print tomorrow morning. He remembered vaguely to himself that he was also going to be at the courthouse observing the Evans/Paige case for his other job at one of the local newspapers. That meant he didn't have another opportunity to talk to Sakura. Unless of course she herself showed up at the trial. 


	10. A Walk in the City

Author's Note: FINALLY. It took me what, nine chapters to get her to see him. But will he see her? Hmm . . . I guess you'll just have to keep reading, now won't you? Keep in mind that I do not own CCS and if there are any mistakes, just assume that they're deliberate. LOL. And I finally updated! This story only has about five to seven more chapters left before the end. Ok then, don't forget to review.

Syaoran picked up the remote and turned the television off. "Wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be," he said to himself, getting off of the couch. "But I still look like an idiot." He sighed as the phone rang.

And the phone would keep ringing, as he would be getting about a billion more calls. People calling for more interviews, law firms with job offers, his boss with a pay raise, and complete strangers congratulating him. The only welcome call was the one from Eriol and that one came late at night.

"Hey Li! Congrats!" he said cheerfully into the phone.

It was 11:00 at night. "You're a little late, kid," Li said with a tired chuckle.

"Is it my fault you don't seem to have call waiting?" Eriol said with playful impatience. "Seriously, the line was busy for . . . well, forever."

"Sorry about that," Syaoran answered him. "My life's bound to be a bit hectic for a few more days – at least until Sunday, the trial."

"Yeah, I know, and even after that you're going to be a busy fellow," Eriol said in agreement. "You're probably tired, but I really wanted to give you props Li. It's not everyday I get to see a friend on TV . . . because I'm not quite sure which category to put Mei-Lin. I do see the occasional friend in newspapers and magazines though."

Li assumed he was talking about his restaurant friends, but in fact, Eriol was talking about Sakura. Kat Green's article was in the paper that morning, but Li hadn't seen it. "I am kind of sleepy, can we continue this conversation another time?"

"Sure," Eriol said. "I'll see you around."

"See ya."

Meanwhile . . .

Sakura had spent the whole afternoon sitting staring at her telephone wondering whether she would dial Syaoran's number. She had dialed 411 already for his home number. Even that had taken her up to six o' clock to do. It was now 11:00.

"What the heck," she said to herself picking up the phone. "I can always just congratulate him on his TV appearance. That's casual enough, even if he doesn't remember who I am." She took a deep breath and started to dial. She held that breath in as she waited for the ring. Instead, she heard the annoying honk a phone makes when the dialed number is busy.

"That," Sakura said angrily, slamming the phone down, "was a complete waste of my time."

Sakura got up and changed. Climbing into bed she read the newspaper article that Kat had written about her. She hadn't gotten around to it until now. Feeling slightly better, Sakura fell asleep.

Meanwhile . . .

Sunlight streamed through the living room window onto the couch where Li had all but passed out the previous night. He got up and started the coffee maker. As the smell of Foldgers filled the air, Syaoran went down and got his mail. He saw that he had two newspapers; one had been printed the previous day.

Since he was working at home today, he decided he had time to read them. He read today's version first then went on to yesterday's. What he found inside that newspaper was very intriguing. It was an article on Sakura. He had to look twice when he saw her name. But there it was, in clear black ink; Sakura Kinomoto. He read the article.

"An editor?" he mumbled as he read.

He read the feature that Katherine Green had written. The author had included excerpts of Sakura's speech. If this had been any other editor, Li would have found the words from the speech not only with sense of humour, but meaningful, passionate, clever, and deep. But knowing it was Sakura made it something even better.

'She obviously hasn't wasted our years apart,' he thought. 'I wonder if she moved on in all her aspects of life . . . of course she has, she's Sakura.'

Syaoran read and reread the article a few more times, then he decided to enjoy his free day. Dressing in a pair of dark jeans and a comfortable navy blue t-shirt, he grabbed a jacket and headed out, still slightly overwhelmed with the fact that he was in the same city as Sakura. If he wanted, he could just take a cab and show up on her doorstep. But he knew he couldn't. He passed one of those magazine vendors and a picture on the cover caught his eye.

Meanwhile . . .

Sakura woke up that morning feeling very irritated with herself. 'I'm being silly!' she thought. She picked up her phone, dialed Syaoran's number (which had taken her a surprisingly short time to memorize) and waited for three rings before his voice went through the receiver.

"Hey, you've reached my home phone and if you're listening to this recording you can be sure that either I'm not home, or I'm screening my calls. Leave a message after the beep."

Sakura paused a moment before deciding against leaving a message. Then she picked up the phone again, dialed, determined this time to leave a message. She didn't. She certainly tried, but she didn't. What would she say? What _could_ she say to a man she hadn't talked to since he was a boy? She failed to leave a message about seven times before she gave up and got dressed.

She left her apartment and walked the city streets, realizing suddenly that Syaoran Li could very well be doing the same thing.

Meanwhile . . .

Sakura was being featured in Envy magazine. This came as a shock to Syaoran. It was as if somebody was putting her directly in his life again. The vendor, who was an elderly looking man – much like an uncle type figure, the type of uncle who always has a little toy in his pocket for you, glanced at him as he picked up a copy of the magazine and turned to Sakura's article, written by none other than Julian Samuels.

The vendor suddenly spoke. "You a friend of Miss K's?" he asked.

"Miss K?" Syaoran was confused.

"Yeah," the vendor said, looking at the page that Syaoran had turned to. "Miss Kinomoto. She comes by here almost every day. Never thought I'd see her in Envy, but if anyone deserves it, it's her."

Syaoran looked back to the magazine, "Oh, yeah, I know her."

"Paying her a little visit?" the vendor said.

"What?"

"Well, she only lives a block down from here, which is why she's here every day," the vendor said.

Syaoran hid his confusion. "Oh, sure. How much for the magazine?"

He paid for the magazine and put it inside his jacket. Then, he looked Sakura up in a phonebook, conveniently located in a nearby phone booth, and then he decided that he was going to arrive unannounced on her doorstep after all.

Meanwhile . . .

It was Sakura's day off so she went to get herself coffee and a bagel and went to spend her morning walking in the park. Then she had lunch with some friends, including Tomoyo and Eriol. At around four o' clock in the afternoon, she headed back to her apartment. She passed a magazine rack and stopped for a chat.

"Hey Tony!" she said brightly picking up a copy of People magazine.

"Hi Miss K!" he said. "Congratulations!" he said holding up the magazine with a picture of her on the cover.

"Oh, that," Sakura said, pretending to be modest. "It was nothing." They laughed. "So, Tony, did you get your granddaughter to stop sucking her thumb yet?"

Tony sighed. "Nope. I think she does it just to see me annoyed nowadays. Oh, I forgot. A young man came by this morning. Dark hair, hazel eyes. Asked about you."

"Really?" Sakura said. "Did he tell you his name?" She was thinking about Eriol. It might have even been Julian.

"No, but he was the real serious type," Tony responded.

"Hm . . . anyway, thanks Tony! See you tomorrow!" Sakura said, paying for both a People magazine and her own Envy.

She didn't know any guys that were all too serious. It might have been one of her work colleagues. Then a sudden thought struck her. What if it was Syaoran? 'No, impossible!' she thought. But the mere possibility had her excited. Feeling rather buoyant, Sakura headed to her apartment. She got into the elevator and headed up.

Meanwhile . . .

Syaoran had been waiting outside of her apartment for hours – since eight, and it was now four. He didn't know why he wanted to see her so badly. Maybe he was curious. No, screw that, it was definitely more. But it had been years. He had waited ten years, he couldn't wait a few hours?

But it had been eight hours. Maybe he could just swing by another time. Sighing heavily, Syaoran left into the hall. He pressed the elevator button. The doors opened and he froze in surprise.

A/N: haha! Cliffy! Payback! muhaha! Okay. This is probably very disappointing. I made yall wait so long for an update and then it turns out like this. I guess I'm more of an evil writer than I thought.


	11. A Trip Down the Memory Stairwell

Chapter 11

A Trip Down the Memory Stairwell

Sakura was toying with her watch when the elevator doors opened. She stepped aside to let the man into the elevator. He was wheeling a caddy stacked high with boxes. He pressed the third floor button. A few seconds passed. The doors opened again and this time, Sakura squeezed herself into a corner as a family joined her in the elevator. Apparently, obesity was hereditary for them. They got off on the fourth floor where there was a gray haired man waiting. He popped in a cigarette and Sakura couldn't breathe – not even to take in a deep enough breath to tell the man it was illegal to smoke in elevators. They hit the sixth floor where a group of giggling girls got onto the elevator. They rode up to the seventh floor, by which time Sakura had a headache.

_This has to be the slowest elevator in the world! I'll just take the damn stairs!_ She thought to herself, almost galloping out of the doors so she would have to hear that horrendous giggling another second, and so she could breathe properly again. _So what if I live on the fifteenth floor?_

Meanwhile . . .

"Eriol?" Syaoran cried. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"So you found out Sakura lives here too," he said smiling. "It's odd. I called your apartment to see if you wanted to tag along on the visit but I got the machine twenty billion times so I just came without you." Eriol laughed. "Maybe I should have thought you'd have gotten here ahead of me."

"Well, you wasted your time on both accounts," Syaoran said irritably as the elevator doors closed behind Eriol. "She's not here."

"Oh, that's too bad," Eriol said. "You didn't get to see her?" Eriol pressed the down button.

"No."

"I wonder how long it's been since you have."

"Ten years."

"The elephant who never forgets! Did you ever hear from her at all? I heard from Tomoyo that Sakura hasn't had contact from you in a long time."

Syaoran shrugged, trying to make light of his guilt, which was again growing in his stomach. "She stopped writing about eight years ago."

"You never wrote to her?"

"Well," Syaoran stuttered. "I mean – it wasn't anything like that – it's just – well I just busy, you see, and – "

"Okay, save it, dude," Eriol said. "But you can obviously understand my skepticism?"

"I can?"

"You guys were hot and heavy for the better part of six years!" Eriol said, as the elevator on their left opened. "I'm just surprised you didn't make more of an effort is all."

Eriol stepped into the elevator as a man with a cigarette got out and he immediately started coughing. "Hey (cough) Syaoran (cough-cough), you going (cough) down? (hacking cough)."

"Uh, no," Syaoran said. "I think I'll take the stairs."

The doors to the elevator shut.

Meanwhile . . .

Sakura was seriously contemplating taking her shoes off. Climbing several flights of stairs in heels isn't very fun. _At least they aren't stilettos,_ she thought. The sandals she was wearing were comfortable enough for walking in general, but not for going up who knows how many flights of stairs. She had lost her balance twice already.

She passed a sign with a big painted number 14 on it and saw one of the janitors mopping the tiled stairs.

"Be careful, miss," he said. "The sixteenth and fifteenth floor stairs haven't quite dried yet."

"Good to know," Sakura said, nodding, and continuing her progress up the stairs much more carefully.

Meanwhile . . .

Syaoran opened the doors that lead to the stairwell. His shoe slipped and immediately he fell . . . and then tumbled down the stairs.

A/N: Can anybody get the title now? Get it? He trips! And I couldn't call it Memory Lane, now could I? Corny, yeah, I know. Anyway . . . review!


	12. Something Familiar

Chapter 12

Something Familiar

Sakura heard a yell coming from around the curve of the stairs and quite suddenly, a man came bouncing down the stairs and suddenly she found herself bowled over. They hit the janitor's bucket of soapy water so not only were they bouncing, but they were wet as well. They came to a rest on the fourteenth flight of stairs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she yelled, rubbing her hip where she had hit it on the mop bucket. "Didn't you see the 'wet floor' sign? Are you blind or something?"

"No!" the man said indignantly, examining his elbow which was starting to swell, his wet brown hair dripping. "I was just preoccupied. And you couldn't just be a Good Samaritan and help stop a guy from falling?"

"And who are you to lecture me on being a courteous civilian!" Sakura yelled, with her back to the man, trying to gather the contents of her purse off the stairs. "I swear, if anything was broken because of your little suicide stairwell joy ride I'll sue you for it!"

"You'd have trouble getting past my lawyer," the man said, attempting to stand up but failing miserably by slipping on yet more soapy water.

"Oh yeah?" Sakura retorted irritably. "And who is this lawyer, because unless it was the guy who defended O.J. Simpson I'm pretty sure you wouldn't survive this lawsuit!"

"That just goes to show what you know!" the man said. "You'd be better off suing the janitor here than going up against me!"

"And what makes _you_ the authority on that?" Sakura asked.

"Being Syaoran Li, Attorney at Law! That's what!" The man said, glaring at her.

Their eyes met.

- - -

_This certainly wasn't the impression I had wanted to make_, Syaoran thought. _Balance impaired jackass. Oh no._

"Li?" Sakura was gaping at him, slack jawed and eyes wide.

Syaoran gave her smile. A smile he had no doubt showed how uncomfortable he was. "Oh. Hey. Sakura. How ya been?" _Moron!_ Syaoran thought, mentally kicking himself.

Sakura was still gaping at him. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here?"

_Quick! Think of something!_ But Li couldn't. He felt like a guilty convict on the witness stand, trapped with an incriminating question, and under oath. He _had_ to lie. "Oh. Umm. . . " _Whatever you do, don't tell her you came to see her!_

_Why not?_

_Because it would make you seem desperate you idiot!_

_Isn't that how I got into this situation in the first place?_

_Just shut up and do it!_

"I could ask you the same question," Syaoran said. _Stupid question, dumb ass. _

_I could say the same thing about you, crazy bastard._

_Look who's talking._

_Nobody's talking stupid._

"I sort of live here," Sakura said.

"Oh! Wow! Really?" Syaoran said, feeling more stupid and crazy by the second. "Right here in the city?"

"Yeah."

"We haven't talked in _years_!" Syaoran said, trying his best to be casual; like he hadn't just been hit with a blast from the past. Or rather, like _he_ hadn't just hit his blast from the past. It amazed him how enthusiastic his voice sounded, when all he wanted to do was slip down the stairs like a waterfall and not have to deal with this right now. Hadn't he melted already? No? _Crap_.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

_She hates me._ He thought

"Uh – huh," she said coldly. "It's been a while."

"I saw you in the paper," he said. "And Envy magazine. It seems like you're doing pretty well."

"Yeah," Sakura said, putting her sodden cell phone in her purse. "But you still haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?"

"Ummm . . . "

- - -

_How can he just sit there and act so casual?_ Sakura thought. _The nerve! After what he put me through, there's nothing he has to say? And why is he taking so damn long!?_

"Well?" she asked, irritably. "What business brings you here, Mr. Showron?"

_Ha! Take that you slimy lawyer!_ She thought. _Two can play at your game. I can make it seem like this is nothing, too!_

She saw Syaoran falter. "Oh. Yeah. I was just visiting a . . . a friend."

_He can't mean me._ Sakura thought. _I mean, he's spent ten years avoiding me. Then who? I bet it's that blonde on the fifteenth floor._

_Why are you being so jealous?_

_I'm not being jealous._

_Yes you are. Stop acting like such a girl._

_I am a girl! But I'm not jealous._

_Suuuure._

_Stop it! Stop making me confuse myself! This is complicated enough already, thank you very much!_

"Well," Sakura said, "I have many friends in this building. Anyone I know?" _Get out of that one, Syaoran!_

"I very much doubt it," he said vaguely.

"Try me."

But he looked very much distracted. Quite confused actually. He kept looking at the stairwell tiles and the pattern of the paint on the walls.

_Strange._ Sakura thought to herself.

- - -

_Why does this place look so familiar?_ He hardly heard Sakura talking. There was a detail that was bothering him. That crack in the tile his hand was next to – the crack that looked a little like a crescent moon – he was sure he saw it before. Then, looking up, he recognized that ugly mustard yellow paint. And finally the door. The door that had the 14 on it, with the 4 slightly lopsided.

Suddenly the door opened, and he suddenly remembered when he had been there before.

A/N: Just so it's clear, Sakura's mad about one thing right now (one jackassy Li thing for the moment); he never answered any of her letters. She's about to find out a little bit more about Li the jackass. But I wrote the next chapter under the influence of writer's block, so maybe I'll change it.


	13. Disappointment

Chapter 13   
Disappointment

It had been three years ago. Syaoran had won a case for a wealthy cocaine dealer, called Madame Candy Cane in the city's underworld. Guess who invited him to the celebration party.

With nothing better to do and wanting a temporary high to get himself off his feelings of self-loathing, Syaoran went. He had passed out and found himself lying facedown on this landing in this very stairwell.

The stairwell door opened, letting Kendra Cain onto the scene.

Syaoran almost had a panic attack right then and there. He felt his eyes widen and he ran his hand agitatedly through his wet hair.

- - -

Sakura followed Li's gaze to find out what the hell he was staring at. It turned out to be a someone and not a something. But maybe that was saying too much. After all, Ms. Cain couldn't be human – not after all she had done. Why was Li staring?

_She's not that pretty!_ Sakura thought to herself.

_There you go again – being jealous. Honestly, this is such a hassle. And stop lying to me . . . yourself . . . whatever – she _is_ pretty, deal with it._

_Shut up._

"Why, Mr. Showron!" Ms. Cain said. "Haven't seen _you_ around in ages!"

Syaoran blinked stupidly. "Yes. It's been a while," he said simply.

_Why would Li know _herSakura thought. _Unless . . . no, it couldn't be!_

"What happened to you?" the woman asked, eyeing him in his wet state.

"Just washing off the last few years of my life," Syaoran mumbled, so that Sakura could barely hear. "It's taking a lot of soap."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, I just had the spill of my life," he said. "I think I swallowed a lot of soap."

"Interesting," Ms. Cain said, smiling indulgently. "See you around."

She left.

- - -

_I am SO dead!_ Syaoran thought.

He looked at Sakura and it was like his heart just stopped. She had that expression on her face. The one he had tried his best for years never to see. He knew it would happen. He had waited ten years for it and there it was. In her eyes, he could see just how disappointed she was in him. She covered it well, but it was still amazing that after ten years he was still able to read her face so well it was almost as if reading her mind.

The expression on her face was worse than disappointment. It was pity.

- - -

"Well," Sakura said, still slightly stunned at what she had just seen, "I guess I know how you've been, now."

"That was a long time ago," he said quietly.

"I hope so."

_What is _wrong_ with him!_ Sakura thought. _He never used to be this screwed up. Maybe I should have kept trying. If I had gotten through to him, would he still be . . . no. Not going down that road again. He gave up on us, so I gave up on him. It's not my fault he gave up on himself._

And suddenly, she was angry again. Why had he given up? Why didn't he just _talk_ to her? She decided that this was as good a time as any to ask.

"So?" she said expectantly.

"Yeah?" Li answered warily.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

Li hesitated. He hesitated too long.

"So you're not even going to apologize?"

"For what?"

"FOR WHAT!?"

"I mean," he stammered, "I'm not sure which part you want me to apologize for."

"How about for not speaking to me for ten years?" Sakura shouted. "How about that? How about making me worry about you for years? How about leaving me wondering every night what you were doing? How about making me doubt our relationship? How about apologizing for leaving me hanging? How about for knocking me down the stairs? At the very least you could apologize for that!"

Silence.

Then, "Do you really think any apology I could give would be enough?"

Sakura frowned. He was right. As always. God that was annoying. "No, actually I don't think so, but I'd like to hear an apology just the same."

Syaoran looked at her, his eyes did look full of remorse. Puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I really am. And I don't expect forgiveness. I don't even expect seeing you again, but I'm really, really sorry for everything."

Sakura sighed. "I believe you." _But you're right. I still don't forgive you._

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, I'm going to go now," Sakura said. "And I'll take the elevator."

She left him standing there, sodden and miserable.

Author's Note: I'm sorry I made Syaoran so icky – but if you had seen the original version, you'd be thanking me right now. And I'm sorry the update took so damn long. First, I got lazy because there was school. Then my Fridays were taken up by Nogales football games, then I couldn't get on the internet. I'm only updating _now_and not onaFriday like I like to do because I think I owe it to my readers to take themtake them off their cliff hangars. Butif I don't get at least 4 reviews by next week, I'm not adding chapter fourteen (which is done!) until after a month.

And just to add incentive for you reviewers, here are some questions you need to be asking yourselves:

What about Julian Samuels?

Are Sakura and Li going to see each other again?

Will Syaoran ever stop being a jackass?

What is this thing about Sakura's powers?

Will Kero show up at all?

What happens with Syaoran's case?

What about Tomoyo and Eriol?

Your questions may be answered . . . if you review enough.


	14. Going to Court

Chapter 14

Going to Court

Sakura opened the door of her apartment knowing very well she could have spared Li the humiliation of walking back to his own apartment – sopping wet. She had already dried herself off in a quick second in the elevator – after checking to make sure there were no cameras of course.

She was still feeling vaguely irritated when the phone rang. She let it ring a few times so she was sure not to answer with an annoyed tone.

"Hello? Sakura speaking."

"Hey, Sakura!" it was Julian Samuels.

Sakura was stunned. "Oh! Hi! Well, this is a surprise!"

"Is it really?"

"Yeah! Um, well, what can I do for you?"

"I know you probably get this a lot . . . " he said hesitantly, "but would you like to go get . . . I don't know, coffee sometime tomorrow?"

Sakura paused. She was thinking of Syaoran. Well, he had obviously gotten over _her_ so she should stop dwelling on _him_.

"Uh, Sakura?" Julian's voice came to her from the receiver.

"I'll be there," she said. "Name the time and place."

"I'll be covering that Paige versus Evans trial tomorrow for a friend of mind from the newspaper," he said. "Do you think we could meet there and then go to lunch?"

_Li's covering that case! Maybe I can get in and out without being seen. But I'll still have to see him. Whatever, I'll do it. _ "Um, sure. That sounds fine."

"Great," he sounded so happy. "See you tomorrow then!"

_He's a nice guy. Not to mention really cute._

_But he's not Syaoran, you know that._

_If there could be anyone else, it might as well be him._

_I guess, but don't let him know that he's just second choice._

_Of course not! You know, it's funny that his name is Julian. That'd make Li mad._

Meanwhile . . .

Li had caught a taxi to bring him home. He entered his apartment, dripping a little.

_That was mean of her_, he thought. _She did have the power to at least make me dry, but I'd probably still be uncomfortable. Yup. Still uncomfortable. And no, it wasn't mean of her because considering, she had the power to blast me through the wall. She could have beaten me up – she does have the power of the Fight card in her. It's a blessing she let me walk off just wet. Why is she so nice?_

The phone rang.

_It could be her!_

_No it couldn't, she doesn't even know my number._

_She could've looked it up._

_And why would she do that?_

_Good point . . ._

He answered the phone.

"Hey, Li speaking."

"Yes, my wing man!" _Oh no. Evans._

"Mr. Evans," Li said. "How are you?"

"Spanking good!" the man said. "Just wanted to wish you luck in court tomorrow. You're gonna win – that's what I'm paying you for, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Li said. "You know, in spirit of the case tomorrow, I think we should both get some sleep. So, I should go now."

"It's six o' clock! Live a little!"

"No thanks. See you tomorrow."

Syaoran flopped down onto his bed. He would win this, but somehow he knew it wouldn't feel like a victory. Though his head was on his pillow, his eyes closed shut, it was a good five hours before he could get himself to sleep.

- - -


	15. In Court

**Chapter Fifteen  
In Court**

_Oops_, was Syaoran's first thought as he got up. He had forgotten to change out of his damp clothes before he went to bed which meant that he'd have a cold by tonight. How wonderful.

It was 7:30 in the morning and Li was due in the courthouse at one. He got up and took a shower, wondering what Sakura would be doing at that moment.

Sakura was sleeping when her alarm went off and rudely interrupted her dream. She blinked in the harsh morning light and grumbled. Sitting up and yawning, Sakura tried to remember what her dream had been about.

She had been walking in a forest glade, some time shortly after sunset by the look of things, yet there was a strange glowing sort of light that was too perfect to have come from the stars or even the moon. Looking up, she saw shimmers of golden lights in the treetops. Sakura had a feeling she had been through this before – with Yukito, back when she had been young . . . er. Eagerly, she looked around for Yukito, but she couldn't find him . . . she did find someone. But that had been the point that her alarm went off.

Cursing herself for setting the time so early, Sakura hesitantly got out of bed. She had to go to work today if she was going to leave early this afternoon, and she had two manuscripts waiting for her, and three calls to make to her eager authors.

The plan was for Julian to pick her up at 11:30, have lunch, then head over to the courthouse at 1:00.

_Oh God_, she thought. _The courthouse. I totally forgot._

Groaning inwardly, Sakura turned on the shower.

Syaoran got out of his car slowly, partly because he didn't really want to be there, and partly because his car was surrounded by reporters.

"No comment, no comment, etcetera, etcetera, leave me alone and let me drink my coffee . . . "

Somehow he got into the courtroom . . . somehow.

Sakura looked out the window of the café.

"Yes," Sakura said. "It is a beautiful day. I love the city this time of year. Now, and spring."

"Why is that?" Julian asked her, taking a sip of his cappuccino.

"It's nicely in the middle," Sakura said. "It's windy," she said, "but that's good because it blows up the leaves which gives the air crimson hue. The sun shines vibrantly, that doesn't mean that the day will be scorching. After it rains, when or if it rains, the air is clear of any pollution and leaves bright, white, fluffy clouds that I can see from my office whenever my eyes wander. It's just . . . nice." Turning her face from the window, Sakura smiled shyly at Julian.

"Was I running my mouth off again?" Sakura asked a grinning Julian. "I tend to do that sometimes."

"Yeah," Julian said, jokingly. "But I enjoyed it."

Smiling again, Sakura said, "Well, it's already 12:30. If we don't leave soon we're not going to make it to the trial."

They got up and Julian helped Sakura into her coat.

"I'm not sure why I put all these layers on, exactly," Sakura said. She was wearing formal khaki slacks, a crisp white longsleeve blouse, a cream colored poncho, and a heavy white denim coat. "I guess it must have been really chilly this morning."

"It might get pretty chilly in that courtroom too," Julian said, sadly. "When tempers aren't 110 degrees Fahrenheit."

"I read your article on Mr. Evans in Envy a few months ago," Sakura said. "Is that why they're having cover his case?"

"Yeah – the newspaper wants some of my prior knowledge of this guy," Julian said. Lowering his voice, he continued, "There were a few things I wasn't allowed to print in my article for Envy that The Times were interested in."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say this guy has quite a few skeletons in his closet," Julian said. "And I have a good feeling that he paid off the senior editors of the magazine. My editor told me that she had been overruled on the decision to print my original article. It was either leave stuff out or lose my job."

"My God!" Sakura said. "Was it really that bad?"

Julian shrugged. "I just hope that this guy finally gets his due. I wouldn't be surprised if he _did_ try to have that poor woman killed."

Sakura blinked. "I suppose that would make today pretty memorable."

"Yup," Julian said, waving his arm for a taxi. He helped Sakura in.

Syaoran got up heavily. The prosecution had almost totally annihilated his case with facts about Mr. Evans that Syaoran, the man's attorney, had not even known. . . but it wasn't over yet.

He stood before the judge and jury. Pausing a moment before speaking, he cleared his throat and said, "Wow."

The jury blinked at him. Syaoran shook his head and looked at Mr. Evans. "That must really make my client look like a monster. A past of drug abuse, extortion, adultery . . . things that no moral man would ever do."

Again, Syaoran got blank stares.

"What the hell is he doing?" Julian said to Sakura, scribbling like a madman on his notepad. "He's not exactly helping his client's case."

Sakura was staring at Syaoran with wide eyes. "To tell you the truth, I think that he may just be trying to do that – the moral thing and just let Evans hang."

Julian looked at her, before beginning to scribble once more. "If only," was all he said.

"Mistakes," Syaoran continued. "All of those. Mistakes that my client has already _paid for_. As a teen, he experimented with the works: drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. But then again, so did most of his peers; stinking, filthy rich, neglected, kids, the lot of them. They had parents who weren't around, and they had money to burn. So what could they do? What would any kid have done? It turned out Sean Evans _did_ go down to the Dark Side. And what did he get out of it? A temporary high, and a lifetime of having his mistakes thrown in his face. He almost didn't get into school because of his problems with self-control. But the admissions committee decided to give a troubled teen a second chance. My client committed adultery. It's true. I'm not going to lie in court – I swore an oath."

There were titters in the crowd.

"Yes, Sean Evans cheated on his wife. That was a severe error in judgment on his part. He _also_ paid dearly for that mistake as well: his wife dumped his sorry ass."

The judge banged his gravel. "Skating on thin ice, Mr. Li. Watch your language, or I shall have to hold you in contempt."

"Point taken, your honor," Syaoran said, but he could see the smiles forming on the faces of the jury. "Let me rephrase that. Evans committed adultery and he got the ending to a marriage that he thoroughly deserved, and he's admitted it himself.

"My client has made mistakes – we all do. Maybe not to the extent that some have, like Mr. Evans here, but we all make mistakes. But Sean Evans would not commit murder. No, because that, _that_ my friends, would be _stupid_, and Evans is not a stupid man. Many would call him among the shrewdest men in business. Murder carries too much of a cost, too big a price to pay, and, people of the jury, I assure you that no one knows better of consequences for one's mistakes better than Sean Evans . . . because thanks to the prosecution here, we know just how many mistakes he's made.

"And speaking of the prosecution," Syaoran said, turning to face his opponent. Both women raised their eyebrows at him. "They came to this court accusing my client of this crime, yet they bring no evidence to support this."

"Objection, your honor!" the prosecutor cried.

"On what grounds, Ms. Charleston?" the judge asked.

"On . . . I don't know, your honor," she said, sitting back down. Her client stared at her incredulously.

"They have no evidence supporting their claim that Mr. Evans tried to kill the widowed Mrs. Harvey. And with all due respect to the late Mr. Harvey, the prosecution has no respectable reason to presume that his death had anything to do with my client.

"Mr. Evans has no motive, unless the assumptions made by the prosecution are true, but they can not prove their accusations correct. Mr. Evans no opportunity to kill either of the Harveys. He has his alibi. Could he have hired a hitman? Yes. Did the prosecution find this hitman? No, they did not. Even if they did find the person who killed Mr. Harvey, and tried to kill Mrs. Harvey, they would find that their original theories leading to Mr. Evans' guilt mistaken.

"That brings this case down to a nutshell. Mr. Evans, the defendant, is a man of many mistakes, or repentance, and of _atonement_. Mrs. Harvey is a single mother, whose husband is dead, and she's looking for answers. With all due respect to her, I believe that she is looking in the wrong place. Every effort she has put into finding her husband's killer, to defend both herself and her child, all her work was well intended . . . but not at the expense of my client. Not at the expense of this, ordinary man."

"With all due respect, Mr. Li," the prosecutor interrupted, getting to her feet. "I could hardly call Mr. Evans an ordinary man. Look at all the things he's done, all the money, the power he holds – " her voice was rising and her eyes flashing in anger.

"Ms. Charleston," the judge said in a warning tone. She sat back down.

"Fair enough," Syaoran said. "But when I said 'ordinary man' I did not quite mean that he was the average Joe. A better way to put it would be to say that Mr. Evans is _only_ a man. He makes mistakes. He has admitted to mistakes. He has paid for mistakes. All that I am saying is that this is a mistake that he did not make. Thank you."

Syaoran sat down quietly and most of the courtroom applauded.

Amidst the din, Julian said quietly to Sakura, "I guess this is why they call him the best lawyer in the business."

Sakura nodded, and hoped Julian didn't see her gulp.

"You know what?" Sakura said to Julian. "I don't think my nerves can handle this much anymore."

"What?"

"The tension's a little much," Sakura said. "If this were a movie, I'd skip through it to the very end."

"But you'd be missing the best part."

"Maybe. Just tell me how it ends, okay? I'll be in the hospital visiting my friend, Tomoyo."

"I'm sorry, is she okay?"

"Oh! Nothing like that – she works there."

"Oh, okay. That's a relief. You sure you don't want to stay?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "I have to get back to work pretty soon anyway."

"All right. I'll tell you how it ends. I may even show you my article in advance. I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Yeah, see ya."

Sakura stepped out of the courtroom, which was buzzing with reporters on their cell phones, and gossiping bystanders. There was only one section of people, right behind the prosecutor that was solemn.

Putting on her coat, Sakura crashed into somebody and they both fell to the floor.


End file.
